Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:00 Welcome to Lent Meditation and Worship with Westside Church during this lentin season. Meet us here each day as we read scripture, worship, and rest in the presence of God together. Know that as you listen today, you are doing so with others, whether in the same places you are not, and we pray that the Holy Spirit permeates the places we each find ourselves in right now. For more resources and to find each week's prayer and song, visit westside church.org/lent. Let us start today by clearing our minds and opening our hearts to what the Lord wants to speak to us through His word. Take a deep breath in and out and another in and out. Today we read another story of an encounter of Jesus during his life on earth. He heals a blind man, and because it was done on the Sabbath, the Pharisees think they've finally caught him, and yet Jesus aim was to meet someone in need right where they are. Sabbath or not, Jesus sees and cares for those who are seen as less than and literally thrown into the dirt. As I read, you may be familiar with the story, but listen with new and open ears today. Listen for the Holy Spirit speaking and moving. Be open to see a new revelation inside this story.
Speaker 0 00:01:44 John chapter nine, verses one through 41. Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked Rabbi, who sinned this man or his parents causing him to be born blind? Jesus said, you are asking the wrong question. You're looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause effect here. Look, instead for what God can do, we need to be energetically at work for the one who sent me here working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over. For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light. I am the world's light. He said this and then spit in the dust, made a clay paste with the saliva, rubbed the paste on the blind man's eyes and said, go wash at the pool of silo. The man went away and washed and saw. Soon the town was buzzing.
Speaker 0 00:02:51 His relatives and those who year after year had seen him as a blind man begging. Were saying, why isn't this the man we knew who sat here and begged others said, it's him. All right, but others objected. It's not the same man at all. It just looks like him. He said, it's me, the very one. They said, how did your eyes get opened? A man named Jesus made a paste and rubbed it on my eyes and told me, go to asylum and wash, and I did what he said. When I washed, I saw, so where is he? I don't know. The man responded. They marched the man to the Pharisees. This day when Jesus made the paste and healed his blindness was the Sabbath. The Pharisees grilled him again on how he had come to see. He said, he put a clay paste on my eyes and I washed, and now I see some of the Pharisees said, obviously, this man can't be from God. He doesn't keep the Sabbath.
Speaker 0 00:04:05 Others countered. How can a bad man do? Miraculous God revealing things like this. There was a split in their ranks. They came back at the blind. Man, you are the expert. He opened your eyes. What do you say about him? He said, he is a prophet. The Jews didn't believe it, didn't believe the man was blind to begin with, so they called the parents of the man now bright-eyed with sight. They asked them, is this your son? The one you say was born blind, so how is it that he now sees his parents said, we know he is our son and we know he was born blind, but we don't know how. He came to see, haven't a clue about who opened his eyes. Why don't you ask him? He's a grown man and can speak for himself. His parents were talking like this because they were intimidated by the Jewish leaders who had already decided that anyone who took a stand that this was the Messiah would be kicked out of the meeting place.
Speaker 0 00:05:13 That's why his parents said, ask him. He's a grown man. They called the man back a second time, the man who had been blind and told him, give credit to God. We know this man is an imposter. He replied, I know nothing about that one way or the other, but I know one thing for sure. I was blind. I now see. They said, what did he do to you? How did he open your eyes? I've told you over and over and you haven't listened. Why do you want to hear it again? Are you so eager to become his disciples? With that, they jumped all over him. You might be a disciple of that man, but we are disciples of Moses. We know for sure that God spoke to Moses, but we have no idea where this man even comes from. The man replied, this is amazing.
Speaker 0 00:06:11 You claim to know nothing about him, but the fact is he opened my eyes. It's well known that God isn't at the beck and call of sinners, but listens carefully to anyone who lives in reverence and does his will, that someone opened the eyes of a man born blind, has never been heard of, ever. If this man didn't come from God, he wouldn't be able to do anything. They said, you're nothing but dirt. How dare you take that tone with us. Then they threw him out on the street. Jesus heard that they had thrown him out and went and found him. He asked him, do you believe in the son of man? The man said, point him out to me so that I can believe in him. Jesus said, you're looking at him. Don't you recognize my voice, master? I believe the man said and worship him. Jesus then said, I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all the distinctions clear so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind. Some Pharisees overheard him and say, does that mean you're calling us blind? Jesus said, if you were really blind, you would be blameless. But since you claim to see everything so well, you are accountable for every fault and failure.
Speaker 0 00:07:49 Let's pray discerner of our hearts. You look beneath our outward appearance and see your image in each of us banish in us, the blindness that prevents us from recognizing truth so that we may see the world through your eyes and with the compassion of Jesus Christ who redeems us. Amen.
Speaker 3 00:08:26 What you, what you, what you're looking for.
